Judge postpones sentencing for N.J. woman who admitted stealing $400K from Somerset company

RARITAN BOROUGH -- Concerned the plea deal may not be stiff enough for stealing $400,000 from a small, family-owned business, a Superior Court judge today adjourned the sentencing date for a former Dunellen woman.

As part of the plea deal Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Chirichella and defense lawyer Robert Gluck arranged, the 47-year-old woman faces up to six years in prison for second-degree theft and third-degree forgery and uttering a forged instrument. She also must pay $400,138.88 in restitution.

But after hearing that Lester Bloch, 79, and, his wife Dorothy, had to tap their retirement funds to cover the losses, keep the business running and keep the Internal Revenue Service at bay, the deal didn’t sit well with Judge Robert Reed, who didn’t think the plea deal was fair.

He adjourned her sentencing for two weeks until he receives more information on why he should abide by the agreement struck in March. The parties will return to the Somerville courtroom June 4. It’s up to the judge to accept or reject a plea deal.
“I believe some period of reconsideration and reflection would be appropriate,” Reed said.

While the deal “is a little more than a slap on the wrist,” Reed said he did not think it was appropriate under the circumstances. He didn’t want Bloch to leave believing the judge would just rubber stamp the plea agreement without understanding the couple’s circumstances, he said.

Before the proceeding came to a halt, Bloch told the judge that Cavaliere-Gellis caused a lot of pain and suffering. “We treated her like a member of the family,” he said.
“It’s taken us nine months to rectify all of the problems,” Bloch said.

Reed cited the couple’s victim impact statement, in which they said they believed the sentence should be more than six years. Because there is no period of parole ineligibility, she could be out of prison in a little more than a year. “ ‘It seems like a slap on the wrist for such a large theft,’ ” Reed quoted from the document.

Gluck said his client came to his office with the information and said she wanted to turn herself in. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a case where someone comes forward without being charged and admits to a crime,” Gluck said in court.

But Reed said she would have been caught, “that’s a certainty.” There was $400,000 missing, and she no longer worked for the company.

Google MapsA map view of Somerset Wood Products in Raritan, where a former bookkeeper stole $400,000 from the business.